ORV use restricted within Huron-Manistee Forests

Published 8:00 am, Sunday, May 27, 2012

As summer begins, the Forest Service reminds the public that the use of Off-Road Vehicles on the Huron-Manistee National Forests is restricted to designated trails.

Recently many counties in the Lower Peninsula have passed ordinances that allow the use of ORVs on the shoulder of county and township roads. These ordinances do not apply to Forest Service roads, whether paved or unpaved.

On the Huron-Manistee National Forests, ORVs that are not street-legal may be ridden only on designated trails. ORVs that are not street-legal require a valid state ORV tag.

All National Forest roads are open to street-legal vehicles, unless they are posted closed or blocked with a dirt mound, brush pile, or other type of barrier.

It is the responsibility of the ORV rider to know whether they are riding in an authorized area or on an authorized road. The Forest Service publishes a free Motor Vehicle Use Map each year.

For information on trails that are open to ORV use on the Huron-Manistee National Forests or to receive a Motor Vehicle Use Map, call Huron National Forest at the Mio Ranger District at 989-826-3252 or the Huron Shores Ranger Station at 989-739-0728; or Manistee National Forest at the Baldwin/White Cloud Ranger District at 231-745-4631 or the Cadillac/Manistee Ranger District at 231-723-2211.